Borneo Divers Mabul Resort
Mabul's benchmark resort since 1982, with predictable Sipadan permit scaling up to four diving days on a 9-night stay, and Paradise 2 house reef directly off the main jetty.
In 1982, Borneo Divers brought the first recreational divers to Sipadan — years before the island was gazetted as a national marine park and long before the permit system that now governs access to its waters. That founding history has a practical consequence: the resort's dive guides carry four decades of institutional knowledge of these reefs, and its Sipadan permit allocation — one day for a minimum 3-night stay (4 days and 3 nights), scaling up to four days for longer packages — gives guests a clear and predictable picture of their Sipadan access before they book. The resort sits on the northern shore of Mabul Island with 94 rooms across two categories, its dive centre, and the house reef — Paradise 2 — directly off the main jetty.
Your Sipadan Permit Allocation
Sipadan permits are allocated based on your length of stay. A minimum 3-night stay (4 days and 3 nights) secures at least one Sipadan diving day, with additional days available for longer stays. See the full permit allocation table on the Rates page.
Dive Operations and Facilities
Three guided boat dives run each day, taking guests to named sites around Mabul, Kapalai, and Si Amil islands. Trips depart at 08:30, 10:30, and 14:00. On Sipadan days the programme runs from 06:00 to 13:00 — two dives at Sipadan and one at Mabul on the return leg. Boats are custom-built 33-foot fibreglass speedboats powered by 150-250 HP engines. Groups are capped at six divers per divemaster, with a maximum of twelve divers per vessel. The jetty dive station has a dedicated camera room and rinse tanks for both dive gear and camera equipment. Nitrox fills are available at RM 40 per tank for Enriched Air Nitrox-certified divers.
The main dining hall seats up to 200 guests and runs from 07:00 to 21:00. The Diver's Bar — capacity 100 — opens at 16:00 and closes at 23:00, making it the natural gathering point at the end of the dive day. Non-diving activities include kayaking, beach volleyball, swimming pools, massage, table tennis, and island-hopping excursions. Free Wi-Fi is available in communal areas.
The House Reef: Paradise 2
Paradise 2 sits directly off the resort jetty — unlimited and unguided, available to divers throughout the day on top of the daily boat programme. Gear up, roll in, and you are on the reef in under two minutes. The sandy and rubble terrain rewards patient exploration: frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, nudibranchs, bamboo sharks, and the occasional green turtle. Evening dives are permitted until 19:30 for Advanced Open Water-certified divers diving with a buddy. The resort has run coral restoration and sea turtle monitoring programmes since 2003, and guests are invited to join both.
Note that Sipadan is closed entirely from 1 to 30 November each year for conservation. Outside that window, permit availability for April through June books up several weeks ahead. We can confirm current permit availability and advise on the stay length that gives your group the Sipadan days you want.
